First records of parasitizing water mite larvae (Hydrachnidia) on damselflies (Odonata: Zygoptera) from southwestern Poland.

We describe the relationships between the water mites Arrenurus s. str. and their damselfly (Zygoptera) hosts from small water bodies in the Silesian Lowland (SW Poland). We found 1088 larvae of five water mite species on 75 adult odonates belonging to six species. The prevalence of infestation was very high (92.3%) due to the cumulative effect of water temperature. This is the first record of parasitism of Arrenurus cuspidator on Enallagma cyathigerum, A. maculator on Coenagrion hastulatum and A. tetracyphus on Lestes sponsa and Enallagma cyathigerum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]